


Fight for Us

by RiverRunningFree



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Burns, Castiel (Supernatural) Has Panic Attacks, Dean saves a life, EMT Castiel (Supernatural), Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone is freaking out, Fire, Firefighter AU, Firefighter Benny Lafitte, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Firefighters, Hero Dean Winchester, Injured Dean, M/M, Panic Attacks, Severe Burns, burned Dean, burning building, paramedic Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 10:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19207840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverRunningFree/pseuds/RiverRunningFree
Summary: Firefighter Dean Winchester and his boyfriend EMT Castiel Novak, are called to the scene of a house fire....and then everything falls apart.





	Fight for Us

**Author's Note:**

> Okay...yes....I know I have a lot of other projects I should be working on but I saw some really cute firefighters the other day and I knew I needed a firefighter Dean fic... don't hate me. Anyways, warnings for panic attack and graphic (sorta) depictions  
> Enjoy!

“Hey, Novak!”

Cas turned to look over at the bright, green-eyed fireman approaching him in confident strides. Dean flashed him a wide grin and came up to the ambulance, leaning lazily against its side, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hello Dean.”

“Third false alarm in one day, man, we must be going for a record.”

Closing the re-packed med kit with a *click*, Cas hummed in affirmation before turning to look at the taller man. “I believe you are right. The universe is toying with us today.”

“Oh definitely.” Dean took his fire helmet off, wiping away the sweat gathering underneath, and smiled disarmingly at Cas just as they heard another call come through the radio.

“Winchester! Pack it up! We gotta go!”

“On it!” Dean slapped his helmet back on and gave Cas a wink before running towards the firetruck, calling back to Cas over his shoulder. “I’m off after this one, Blue Eyes! Let’s grab dinner!”

Cas chuckled as he quickly finished re-loading the ambulance with his colleagues, glancing up for a moment to watch his boyfriend’s truck pull away and head down the street, lights flashing and horns blaring.

“It’s a date.”

\---------------------------------------

Dean felt the tension in the truck skyrocket as they rounded the corner to see a two-story home, blazing with flames, smoke bellowing out from the windows and roof.

“Shit.”

“Benny, Winchester, man the hose. Garth and Jo, check the foundations. I need a list of all occupants for this house and a list of who’s already out. Go go go! Hustle it!” Bobby started yelling instructions as the firefighters quickly poured out of the truck each moving with precision and accuracy.

Dean and Benny started pulling out the hose just as a crying woman came bursting out of the house, a baby and young child in each arm. “PLEASE! HELP ME! HELP!”

Dean and Jo immediately started sprinting towards the woman, “Is there anyone else still in the house?!” Dean called loudly as they ran towards the woman, the heat of the fire washing over them in waves as they drew nearer.

“My husband! My husband! He-he’s still in the house! Oh my god!” the woman sobbed, coughing against the ashes in her throat, tears streaming trails through the soot on her face.

Jo quickly took the two children from her and began ushering her towards the roadside as the ambulance finally came into view.

“Bobby! I got an adult male still inside, requesting permission to go in!”

Bobby’s voice crackled loudly out of the radio transmitter, “Partner up with Garth then go inside.” Dean waved hurriedly to his compatriot as they both started heading into the house, pulling their masks up to cover their faces. “But go quickly, this house is going up fast. I want you boys in and out in five minutes! You understand?”

“Yes sir!” Garth and Dean chorused into their radios.

Dean glanced back one last time, just catching a glimpse of Cas jogging towards the mother with a med kit and oxygen mask, before he turned back towards the house and followed Garth in.

 

\-----------------------

 

Three minutes in and Dean had moved on to the second floor, Garth continuing the search on the first. The flames were devouring everything within the house: the walls, the floors, the wooden furniture and the sagging couch. Pictures on the walls were turning black from the smoke that was clouding Dean’s vision.

The second floor was even worse. The fire must have originated upstairs. Probably an electrical shortage, Dean automatically noted.

He checked the first door at the top of the stairs. Nothing. Second door, nothing.

He could hear Bobby yelling through the radio to pull out, but Dean only had one door left to try. He tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge. Crap.

He leaned his shoulder into ramming against the door, once, twice. On the third time it flung open, debris flying in all directions at the force. Bingo.

The husband was laying on the floor, hands cover his head as harsh coughs racked his breath.

“I got you, dude. I got you.”

Dean quickly radioed in to Bobby, “I got him chief. Heading out now.”

“Hurry up Winchester! This house is about to come down on your ears.”

“Yes sir!”

Dean crouched down by the man’s shaking form, taking in the wheezing of his breath. “Shit.” Dean knew the man’s lungs were severely compromised so he quickly yanked off his oxygen mask and pulled it down over the man’s face.

Dean lifted him up into a fireman’s carry and pounded towards the stairs. But now the flames had completely engulfed the staircase. There was no way they could get down that way.

“Crap. Crap. Crap.” Dean muttered to himself as felt the smoke burn in his throat. “Not good. Not good.”

He quickly headed into the first room, noting the window at the far side. “There we go…”

Dean had just started to head for the window when he heard a roaring crack just above their heads. “Oh no…” The roof was caving in. He knew they wouldn’t make it to the window in time, so Dean quickly slid the man off his shoulder and to the ground, quickly laying on top of him and wrapping his coat around the man’s body just as the roof came crashing down around them.

A feeling of icy white-hot pain surged through his body, and then everything when black.

 -----------------

 

Cas paced back and forth, back and forth, in front of the ambulance. His colleague was finishing setting up the emergency equipment for when the husband would be brought out. They had already checked out the wife and children. Mild smoke damage, they would be fine.

But the husband was still inside. And Dean… was still inside.

Cas chewed on his lip nervously as he continued pacing. “It’s fine. It’s fine. You do this every time, you idiot. And every time Dean comes out fine.”

He really wanted to go over to the Chief and ask if Dean had radioed in that he was coming out yet, but he knew better than to get in Fire Chief Singer’s way. It’ll be fine. Everything’s fine.

Just then Cas spotted Garth sprinting out of the house and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Dean would be just behind him.

But… something was wrong.

Garth was waving his arms frantically and pointing back to the house. Cas started jogging towards him, the skinny firefighter’s words just now reaching his ears, and terror shot through Cas at what he heard.

“-on fire! He can’t come down that way! I tried radioing him, but the signals shorting out! He’s still in there with the husband! And the roof-“ Garth’s panicking words were drowned out suddenly by a large crashing sound coming from the house.

All eyes darted over to the house just as the roof completely collapsed in on itself. The flames shot up an extra fifteen feet and pieces of the house started crumbling apart left and right.

“DEAN!!!”

Cas felt everything inside him freeze.

There was a loud ringing in his ears and his breathing stopped completely.

He wasn’t even aware he had started sprinting for the house until there were two firemen on either side of him, dragging him back to the ambulance. He felt tears streaming down his face and his vocal cords felt raw from screaming.

He barely noticed the other firefighters running frantically around the base of the house, searching for possible alternative exit and entrance routes. He thought he might have heard Jo, who was bracing against his left shoulder, mutter “Please come out a window, please come out a window.” As she glanced back at the flames behind her.

Five minutes later and Cas was still screaming, still struggling against the firefighters who had given up trying to reason with him. The wife was sobbing in the background when the Chief finally gave his crew the all-clear to do search-and-rescue inside because the flames were more managed.

Bobby had yelled something about watching foundation stability, but no one seemed to pay attention as Benny and Garth got a ladder and headed for a second-story window.

 

\----------------------

 

Benny pulled himself up and over the windowsill, following closely behind Garth. The two men began sifting through the flaming debris, scanning the small bedroom they had entered in to.

“Dean!”

“Dean!”

“Dean, You in here, brother?”

No response was all they got in reply. The fire was still lapping steadily at their surroundings, so Benny prodded them out into the hall and through another bedroom door.

The men squinted through the billowing smoke, resuming their calls in the second room.

That’s when they heard it.

A groan.

“Dean! Where are you?”

Garth grabbed Benny’s shoulder and pointed to a pile of fallen beams near the center of the room, “There!”

As they raced towards it, Benny began to make out the shapes of two men, one laying on-top of the other. Shit. The man at the bottom was shifting slightly, the groans emanating from him, Benny assumed. But the man on top wasn’t moving at all.

Benny quickly crouched down, pushing the beams off of the two bodies.

What Benny saw made him want to wretch, right then and there.

Dean was the one on top. His fireman’s jacket was gone and he burns smoking and sparking still all along his back and legs. Soot and bruises littered his body from the impact of the beams, which were still burning when Benny had moved them.

Benny carefully pulled Dean of the house’s owner, trying not to dwell on the sickeningly slick feeling of the blood and melted shirt that stuck to Dean’s back.

“Garth we gotta go, this house is still creaking like crazy.”

Garth nodded silently, hoisting the second man onto his shoulders and making his way to the room’s window. “Hey! We need a ladder over here!” Those below quickly started scrambling to help them and before too long they were running the two men across the lawn and towards the ambulances, yelling for help.

\----------------------

Cas’ head jerked up as he heard the firemen yelling for help.

He wiped the burning tears away forcefully, as he and his partner pulling out stretchers.

And then there was Dean. Held limply in Benny’s arms as he rushed towards Cas. He wasn’t moving. Cas swallowed thickly and quickly schooled his emotions. Dean needed his help, not his panic.

“Lay him here.”

Benny carefully laid Dean out on the stretcher and Garth did the same with the other man, who was fully conscious and coughing his lungs out, clinging to the fireman’s jacket around his shoulders. Dean’s jacket.

Cas turned back to Dean’s still form and began calling out vitals as he went down his automatic list.

“BP 190/120.

Heart Rate 110.

Respirations … 5 per minute

Temp. 104.5”

Cas dazed began running IVs as his partner called out much more stable vital signs from their second patient. Cas quickly moved over to checking Dean’s back. He paused a moment, placing a clenched hand to his mouth to stifle a sob.

His shirt was melted into the skin on his back and blood was soaking through the fabric. The stench of burnt flesh was vivid in Cas’ senses making his brain draw a blank.

His partner came up behind him, quickly taking over the examination at the notice of Cas’ freeze. “The other guy’ll be fine. I put him on oxygen and gave him some bronchodilators to open his airways. He’ll need a hospital soon, but he’s a lucky guy.” The man murmured.

“Come on, Cas. We gotta load him up. There’s another ambulance coming for the others, but right now he needs a hospital STAT.”

“Okay. Okay. Okay, let’s go. Let’s go.” Cas nodded jerkily and started loading Dean into the back of the ambulance. Thirty seconds later and they were streaming down the road, sirens blaring, and radioing in to the hospital.

“Stay with me Dean, stay with me.” Cas whispered to his boyfriend.

Dean’s eyelashes started fluttering and there was a low groan building in his throat. Cas immediately squeezed Dean’s hand and then began switching to a stronger pain medication. “Hang in there Babe, it’s gonna be okay.” Cas tried not to let his voice break as Dean’s moaning grew louder.

Flashing green peaked between Dean’s cracked lids, making eye-contact with Cas briefly before rolling up into his head and his body began seizing.

“Shit!” Cas turned Dean’s head to the side to avoid aspiration and turned the timer on. “BP’s up to 220/150. What’s our ETA to the hospital??”

“Two minutes!”

Cas pumped him with an anticonvulsant and prayed.

Dean’s body kept spasming the whole way to the hospital, limbs flailing as much as the restraints would allow. The whites of his eyes were haunting and the smell of smoke and sweat mixed with the sharp scent of urine as Dean lost bladder control.

Cas could barely hear anything except the pounding of blood rushing into his ears as he watched the timer keep counting, tracking how long Dean was seizing.

“Come on, Baby.” Cas bent down, whispering into Dean’s ear. “I need you to fight, Dean. Fight for me. Fight for us.” Cas felt tears burn in his eyes one minute later when Dean’s seizure finally stopped and his body relaxed bonelessly into the stretcher. “Please Dean. I need you to fight. I-I need you to…I need you.”

\-------------

 

One minute, thirty seconds later and Dean was being rushed through the ER doors and towards the OR. Nurses were calling out vitals and doctors were jogging alongside his stretcher. Everyone was buzzing, buzzing, buzzing through their emergency routine and Cas just stood there.

His jaw was slack and his eyes were glazed and his mind kept repeating the same thing over and over.

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

 

\----------------------------

 

Benny and Garth and the others from the firehouse came to visit while Dean was in surgery. Cas didn’t speak to them or answer their question, he just kept staring at the ER doors.

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

 

\-----------------------

Cas couldn’t stop replaying the moment when he saw Benny carry Dean’s limp body to him. The heart stopping moment when he didn’t even know if Dean was alive or dead. He looked dead. He looked so dead. So lifeless. So pale. And bloody.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, probably Garth. But he didn’t pay attention.

Everything had happened so fast then. And now…now it was so slow. Every moment of blood and fire and smoke played over and over in Cas’ head.

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

_Dean is dying._

 

\-----------------------

Cas’ vision focused in and out throughout the next, hours? Minutes?

He didn’t know.

But one moment he was replaying the roof collapsing and then next moment he was suddenly conscious of the smell of blood. The STRONG smell of blood.

And he looked down.

“Oh my god…”

His uniform was drenched in blood. His hands had dried blood crusted on them. There were trails of blood splattered on his face. It was everywhere. Dean’s blood. It was Dean’s blood.

It was all over him.

Dean’s blood. Dean’s blood. Dean’s blood. Dean’s blo-

“Easy there brother, I need you to breathe.” Cas felt two strong hands grab his wrists to stop his frantic wiping and smearing.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t he breathe? Only dead people couldn’t breathe. Oh my god. Dean. What if Dean isn’t breathing? Is he still breathing? Maybe he’s dead already and I don’t even know!

_Dean is dead._

_DEAN IS DEAD._

_DEAN IS D-_

“Cas!”

The sharp voice brought silence to his thoughts and Cas blinked up at Benny’s steeled face. Oh. He was having a panic attack. He slowly felt his breathing come under control as Benny walked him through his breaths.

“Alright. Good. Now, you and I are going to head over to the staff locker room, we’re going to grab you your clothes and get you changed and cleaned up. Okay?”

“O-okay.”

 

\------------------------

 

Dean slowly opened his eyes to a white-washed, sterilized room.

Hospital.

Why was he in a hospital? Was he visiting Cas at work?

He blinked his eyes groggily and tried to shift slightly. That’s when he felt the pain shoot up his back and down his legs. Well shit.

He tried calling out but there was a tube down his throat and he felt a panic start to build up in his foggy brain. Why was there a tube down his throat? Why was he in a hospital?

Dean quickly forced himself to calm down.

Relax. Breathe.

And then he remembered.

The heat. The fire. The roof caving in. Oh god. This was going to suck.

He glanced around and realized that he was shifted on to his side. Probably to help with his back. Not entirely a comfortable position though…

“Mr. Winchester. It is very good to see you awake finally.”

Dean’s eyes darted to the door. A doctor. Great.

A couple nurses followed her inside and began messing with his IV’s and meds. He knew they got him on the strong stuff cause the pain in his back and legs was tolerable and not screeching in electric pain, like he was sure it should be.

“Mr. Winchester, my name is Dr. Mosely, I’m in charge of your care here. I’m going to give you a brief overview of your injuries and then we’ll do an evaluation and exam, that sound good?”

Dean nodded slightly.

“Good. Alright, so you came in with a mild concussion and various contusions, but those have marginally healed since you came in last week-“

_Last week?!_

“-However, you do have second-degree burns to your legs, but those should heal completely with no lasting damaging.”

_Thank god…_

“Your back took the brunt of the damage however, with severe third-degree burns. There will be severe scarring most likely, and possible nerve damage. However, after you’ve healed and had some good old fashion PT for a while, you should be back to jumping in blazing buildings and saving lives again in no time. You’re a very very lucky man, Mr. Winchester.”

Dean breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor began her physical examination.

No lasting damage.

He was going to be alright.

A few scars. But he would be fine.

Scars were cool. He could take scars.

Permanent nerve damage not so much. So yeah. He could deal with scars.

Halfway through the doc’s exam he began drifting off again, letting blessed relief and pain medication sail him far and away. Maybe next time he woke up they would let Cas see him…

 

\-----------------

 

Heat.

There was so much heat.

Fire was climbing up the walls, up the ceiling, along the floor. The room he was in had no windows, no doors. There was so much smoke. So much smoke. He couldn’t breathe.

_I need to get out!_

_How do I get out!_

_I need to get out!_

He could feel the fire lapping at his legs, he tried to run to the other side of the room, but the flames followed him. He felt searing pain as the flames bit into his legs, his arms, his chest and back, he watched his skin burn to a crisp in front of his eyes.

And the pain got worse and worse and worse.

He couldn’t stop screaming.

*Gasp*

Dean’s eyes snapped open. His breath was coming fast and there was sweat sticking to his hospital gown… Hospital?... Oh… right.

Dean closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his face. He knew it would probably take a while before he could go back into a burning building again. He didn’t look forward to the nightmares that were to come.

He opened his eyes again tiredly, suddenly catching a glimpse of messy black hair, laying on the edge of his bed.

“Cas?” He croaked out. Wow. That was his voice?

Cas’ head instantly shot up, eyes wide and mouth open slightly. “Dean?” Cas’ voice cracked and he broke down sobbing, sloppily kissing Dean’s face. “I thought I lost you, I thought you were gone. It’s been over a week. You were so still. And when you came out of the burning house, the blood. There was so much blood….”

“Cas.”

Big, swollen, blue eyes turned to meet his gaze. Cas’ sobs still racking his body.

“It’s ‘kay Cas. I’m okay.”

“You were dying. I watched you dying. You were dying-“

"Cas..."

Dean smiled exhaustedly up at his boyfriend, his chapped lips cracking slightly. The green vibrance in his eyes made Cas' heart slow down and calm itself. He had never thought he'd see those eyes open again. So much had happened in just a few short hours. He loved Dean so fucking much, and he was going to be sure that after all this was over, Dean would know that, without a doubt.

Dean slowly lifted his shaking hand up to Cas’ cheek, wiping his thumb over the tear tracks. “I’m here. You’re here. Everything will be fine. That’s all that matters. That’s all we need. We can deal with the rest of the crap later. The physical therapy, the nightmares, we’ll deal with it later. But right now… in this moment… we’re okay.”

Cas put his hand on Dean’s and smiled as he sniffed quietly.

“We’re okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked it! Let me know below what you thought and if maybe you'd like a sequel/another firefighter/EMT fic?


End file.
